Let's talk about the Cleveland Browns

[TLO]

Week 1.

Chiefs vs Browns.

Talk about it here.

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Originally Posted by eastsidedawg

One thing I see consistently from chiefs fans are excuses they don't lose much but when they do its never the chiefs fault.

It's always injuries or the refs. Sack up and take your lumps just like everyone else. Also psa you aren't going 20-0

When you’ve won 25 of your last 27 games, over the course of 2 regular seasons and 2 playoffs, it’s easy to feel that way.

No one REALISTICALLY thinks we’re going 20-0. That said, most of us are confident we’ll lose at most 2-3 games during the regular season, be the #1 seed in the AFC again, and end up back in the Super Bowl.

Since Mahomes became starting QB, we’ve had unprecedented success for our franchise. As long as he is healthy, we good.

So until someone takes the cape off of Superman, yes, we feel very confident . . .

[eastsidedawg]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

Well, to be fair, a healthy Chiefs team with Mahomes on the field hasn't lost hardly at all in two years.

I'm not usually a 'blame the refs' guy, but it seemed pretty clear that the NFL decided they were going to call any contact whatsoever in the Super Bowl, probably to ensure a competitive game.

And we were literally down to third stringers and second stringers out of position on the offensive line. I don't think anyone would say that the results would have been the same with the week one starting OL.

We MIGHT have lost a shoot-out with them calling the game like they were. But I doubt it.

The only game we lost in 2020 just straight up was the Raiders game. KC clearly was on cruise control and didn't show up.

That could happen, and probably will at some point again this season.

I mean your not going to get any sympathy from anyone with injuries. Take the browns last year were starting. M.j Stewart, Robert Jackson, Andrew sendajo and Karl Joseph I'm the secondary due to injuries. All who aren't in the nfl anymore or on practice squads.

I'm sorry they couldn't stop hill and henne on a 4th and 1.

[New World Order]

Originally Posted by eastsidedawg

One thing I see consistently from chiefs fans are excuses they don't lose much but when they do its never the chiefs fault.

It's always injuries or the refs. Sack up and take your lumps just like everyone else. Also psa you aren't going 20-0

Obviously, you weren't aware of the status of our line in the Super Bowl.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Mav

What is wrong with Baker? The first Browns qb since Kosar to lead the team to a playoff win, and the first Browns qb to start 3 straight season openers. I’ve never understood the Baker disrespect. Is he Mahomes? No. Who is? I’d say Mahomes landed in a pretty good situation and Baker has survived what was one of the worst. It’s weird people think he’s bad.

In a nutshell, Baker was a Sooner, and you're posting on essentially a KU board.

And we'll find out this season if Mayfield is a true franchise QB or not. He's had a little bit of a rocky start to his NFL career, but I give him a pass due to the fact that he's had 4 different HCs/OCs from day 1. That kind of instability usually spells disaster for 99% of rookie QBs in this league. Instead Baker has managed to not only survive the browns 'curse,' but he's led his team to winning seasons, a playoff berth and a playoff win.

Hell, take any of the QBs that were drafted around the same time and insert them hypothetically into the situation Baker was gifted, and how of them would be as successful?

Certainly Lamar would either be broken or benched by the end of year 2. Josh Allen might not have done any better than lamar.

My take is that Mayfield physically is a great talent, and has always shown the necessary mental toughness to be an NFL QB. The question mark is can he show the discipline necessary to curb his ego, play within the system and learn to mitigate risk. If, and it's a real question, he can do that and KS can expand his offense around Baker's talents, Baker will probably finish the season as a top-10 QB.

But he'll never get much respect on CP because he played for OU.

[mililo4cpa]

Originally Posted by eastsidedawg

Never understood the Alex Smith or cousins comparison for baker. He isn't a checkdown master or doesn shrink in big games like cousins.

So what are the similarities?

I’ve already outlined it a few pages back

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

In a nutshell, Baker was a Sooner, and you're posting on essentially a KU board.

A WHAT?

[mililo4cpa]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

Cleveland's got a good squad.

People here just hate Mayfield for some reason. It's kind of pathological. I like the kid, personally.

I don't think they can beat a healthy KC, but I do expect them to be in a competition with Buffalo for second-best team in the AFC.

There's a tendency to oversimplify with some Chiefs fans these days. If he's not Mahomes, he sucks. If they're not as good as the Chiefs, they're pathetic. I'm a Chiefs fan, and I find it irritating. If Mahomes didn't exist, and we'd drafted Baker Mayfield, we'd be pretty excited. Of course, he does, and we didn't, and so the trash talking is what it is.

Barring a mass of injuries, I expect the AFC championship game will be in Arrowhead against either Cleveland or Buffalo.

I’ve been critical of Baker in this thread, but not because I don’t think he isn’t good. I also didn’t think Alex Smith was bad either…..

I just feel like I’m being realistic in that I don’t think he is championship caliber so long as there are Mahomeses, Brady’s, and Rodgers around….same as with Alex Smith.

Maybe I’m putting too much stock in the divisional round loss last year, but to me, the Browns last drive was a synopsis of my point: champions grab that moment by the throat and use it to elevate themselves and their team, and the Browns didn’t get it done, and that rests on the QB as the field general.

Baker is very talented, and he’ll likely win a bunch of games in his career, and I can’t blame Browns fans for being excited relative to the garbage they’ve trotted out in the past.

But when I watch Baker, it screams Alex Smithesque to me, and last I checked, Smith had a pretty successful career, won a lot of games, and also couldn’t deliver in the clutch. Teams can and do a lot worse than Alex Smith or Baker Mayfield, but we have to be honest about who they are, and honestly, my take has nothing to do with Baker’s physical physical attributes or athletic ability.

[Mav]

Originally Posted by mililo4cpa

I’ll call your “Chubb dropped a pass”, and raise you a “down 24-0 in a playoff game”

It’s not my fault that you have way too much expectations for your QB….hate being the bearer of bad news. I actually like Baker and I like the Browns, but Baker is Alex Smith lite……sorry

Being down 24-0 and having Tyreke, and Kelce is a little different than having Jarvis Landry and Rashard Higgins as your 1, and 2 receivers. You’re acting like those things are equal. The Browns awful secondary, and lack of any speed at the receivers position were huge problems last year. The Chiefs in the playoffs gave zero respect to the Browns ability to get deep. I imagine week 1 with OBJ back, Schwartz and his 4.25 speed and the quickly developing DPJ that things will be a little different. Again, I do not expect to win. The Browns have not started 1-0 in almost 20 years. The Chiefs are the better team, Andy and Mahomes do not lose in September. But, people are going to find out that Baker is much more than Alex Smith who couldn’t carry Bakers jock on his best of days.

[Mav]

Originally Posted by UChieffyBugger

The secondary has not proven anything though..greedy williams and newsome have not done anything and neither has delpit. Troy and Johnson are ok but we all know that rams defense was about ramsey and donald..not the slot corner. Anyway we'll see how it goes next sunday..should be a good game.

There is some truth to this. But the fact is that regardless of how proven the secondary is, it is much better than the Sendejo, Karl Joseph, Robert Jackson, Kevin Johnson walking trash can it was last year. It’s a severe upgrade.

[Mav]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

Cleveland's got a good squad.

People here just hate Mayfield for some reason. It's kind of pathological. I like the kid, personally.

I don't think they can beat a healthy KC, but I do expect them to be in a competition with Buffalo for second-best team in the AFC.

There's a tendency to oversimplify with some Chiefs fans these days. If he's not Mahomes, he sucks. If they're not as good as the Chiefs, they're pathetic. I'm a Chiefs fan, and I find it irritating. If Mahomes didn't exist, and we'd drafted Baker Mayfield, we'd be pretty excited. Of course, he does, and we didn't, and so the trash talking is what it is.

Barring a mass of injuries, I expect the AFC championship game will be in Arrowhead against either Cleveland or Buffalo.

I appreciate the honesty. I’ve read some pretty wild takes in this thread, and I know that some of the posters in here are notorious “Chiefs good, everyone else sucks!” Posters and that’s just the way it is. Thanks for the logical perspective.

[smithandrew051]

Originally Posted by Mav

Chiefs good, everyone else sucks!

THIS!!!!

[Mav]

Originally Posted by Pasta Little Brother

It's not a dumb take because it's correct.

It is correct. But the problem is that your assumption is that it’s a negative. The Browns are the Browns and they are going to be competing with the Chiefs for the AFC crown for the next 5 years at least. It’s not the insult you want it to be. It’s the standard.

[ROYC75]

Originally Posted by Frazod

A WHAT?

I think he was referring to the general consensus that this was more of a KU board than any other local college team.

Hmm, maybe it time for a poll to see. Could be a close one?

[Mav]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

The Browns are not the second best team in the AFC. They are the second best team in their division though. Then you have the Bills and Titans as both potentially being over the Browns.

I don’t agree. You’re gonna see why this season.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by ROYC75

I think he was referring to the general consensus that this was more of a KU board than any other local college team.

Hmm, maybe it time for a poll to see. Could be a close one?

This. Thx.